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When she stepped through the swinging door that separated the front of the shop from the kitchen, she smiled shyly at the customer standing at the counter.
The woman was dressed from head to toe in black.The only makeup she wore was a thick line of black eyeliner on her upper eyelid.As much as Harper didn’t want to admit it, she was intimidated.Then all of a sudden, the woman smiled, and her entire face lit up as she held out her hand to Harper.
“Hi.I’m Remi.You must be the new cake artist.”
Harper nodded and reached out to shake Remi’s hand.“Yes.I’m Harper.”
Remi rocked back on her feet and smiled.“Nice to meet you.I love your barrettes.”
She couldn’t help but reach up and touch one of the pastel-colored hair clips.She wore them to keep the hair out of her eyes while she worked, but it was an added bonus that they were so adorable.It was a tiny thing that reminded her she could finally be who she wanted.
“Thank you.Were you, uh, did you have an order to place for a cake?”she asked.
Remi seemed as though she suddenly remembered why she was there.“Oh.Right.Yes.I need a cake.Can you decorate it for me?Any chance you can deliver it?”
Harper looked up from the pad of paper she’d grabbed to jot down the order.“Oh, uh…”
The bakery didn’t usually offer deliveries, but Dot, the owner, had said sometimes they made exceptions for known customers, and her co-workerhadsaid Remi was a regular.
“Sure.Yep.Yes, I can deliver it.When do you need it?”
“Saturday?”Remi asked.“Yeah, Saturday night.I’m having a book club get-together and want a cake for it.”
She nodded.“Right.Okay.And how big of a cake?”
Remi shrugged.“Enough for thirty people or so?”
“Wow.That’s a big book club,” Harper said as she wrote down the number of people.
“Yeah,” she replied with a nonchalant shrug.
They spent the next few minutes going over the details of the cake.When Harper had all the information she needed, Remi handed her some cash.
“Thank you so much.Hey, do you like to read?You could join us for our book club.We’ll be starting a new book this weekend.We like to read smut, though, so if you don’t like dirty books, it might not be your thing.”
Harper felt her cheeks heat, and she struggled not to smile.Not only was she being invited to hang out with a bunch of women who loved to read, but they loved the same kind of books as she did.
“Oh, uh, well, sure.I could stick around.That sounds fun.Should I bring anything?”
Remi grinned so wide that Harper was worried the woman’s face might split.
“Nope.Just bring yourself and the cake.I’ll have everything else you need.I mean, everything we need.See you there!”
Okay, that was a bit odd.But the woman seemed so nice, and Harper was pretty sure they were close in age.Maybe she’d found a new friend.Starting over wasn’t easy, and it would be nice to have some friends she could talk to.Although, based on all the black clothes the woman was wearing, it was likely she wasn’t a Little.And that was okay.She could have vanilla friendships too.The world was her oyster.Or whatever that saying was.
Harper glanced at her GPS again.She hadn’t missed any turns, but for some reason, she was driving in an industrial area.There were definitely no bookstores around here.
When the monotone voice told her to turn, she turned, then came to an immediate stop.Her eyes widened as she read the sign.Shadowridge Guardians Motorcycle Club.The large metal gates leading into the compound were open, and there were a few men standing outside talking.One of them noticed her arrival.When he started making his way toward her car, Harper felt herself shrinking back in her seat.The man was older but still intimidating.He was heavily tattooed with salt and pepper hair and a strut that told her not very many people messed with him and lived to talk about it.
Even though she saw him approach, she still jolted when he knocked on the window.With a trembling hand, she pressed the button to lower it.
“You lost, Little one?”the man asked.
“I, uh, I think so.I was supposed to deliver a cake for a book club, but I don’t think the woman gave me the right address.”
The older man’s eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled.“Ah, you must be Harper.Remi told me you’d be coming.I’m her dad.Name’s Rock.Drive straight back to the clubhouse, and you’ll see the front entrance.The book club is in there.”
Wait.What?The look on her face must have expressed exactly what she was thinking because Rock chuckled and tapped the top of her car.
